Political football

Maybe it was because of the recession or questions raised by crusading websites. In any case, San Diego county supervisors appear to have accepted far fewer gifts in 2009 than during the years of the great real estate boom. Still, Ron Roberts managed to pick up a $120 round of golf from the Barona Indian band in April of last year, and he nabbed two $98 Chargers tickets and a $20 stadium parking pass from Turner Construction and another Chargers ticket from lobbyist Kimberly Hale of political consultant Tom Shepard’s Public Policy Strategies, both in September. He got two $98 tickets to an October Chargers game from Wells Fargo. Pacific Life gave him a $75 admission to December’s Holiday Bowl, and the San Diego County Credit Union came up with four VIP tickets to the Poinsettia Bowl, valued at $320. Roberts got a $50 VIP reception and preview of the Elephant Odyssey courtesy of the zoo last May and a free $75 admission to the Padres Annual Dinner in January of last year, thanks to water industry lobbyist Chris Frahm.